Convenience Store Film Unmasks Retail Horror

Japanese director Iwasaki Yusuke's debut feature, "AnyMart," explores the unsettling transformation of individuals within the rigid structure of convenience stores. Drawing from personal experience witnessing his father's shift from a lively liquor store owner to a seemingly inorganic convenience store operator, Iwasaki depicts how work uniforms and daily rituals can strip away humanity. The film centers on a clerk, Sakai, whose monotonous existence is disrupted by a new recruit, Ogawa, leading to violent outcomes that challenge the store's standardized operations. This narrative blends Aki Kaurismäki-esque deadpan with Kurosawa Kiyoshi-influenced slow-burn horror, creating a unique tonal fusion.

"AnyMart" examines the conflict between societal conformity and individual morality within a distinctly Japanese microcosm. Iwasaki portrays the system's embodiment in the store owner, contrasted with characters like Ogawa who live by their own righteousness. The protagonist, Sakai, represents a passive observer, a state the director suggests is common in modern Japan. The film's deliberate pacing, unsettling sound design, and quick cuts to disturbing imagery enhance its psychological horror aspects, blurring lines between life and death. Initially intended as a straightforward horror, it evolved into a satirical comedy with profound underlying fear.